Cloth-holding clamp.



PATENTED NOV. 28, 1905.

W. B. NUNNALLY.

CLOTH HOLDING CLAMP.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.2. 1905.

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Inventor W WL'lZz'wnBNumc/ay,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Nov. 28, 1905.

Application filed February 2, 1906 Serial No. 243,914.

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM B. NUNNALLY,

'a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful Clothvice of this character capable of being readily mounted upon one end of a table and conveniently controlled to facilitate the engagement and disengagement of the device with a piece or pieces of material.

It is also proposed to provide for controlling the device by a foot of the operator, thereby to leave both of his hands free for fitting the cloth to and removing the same from the holder.

WVith these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of one end of a table having the cloth-holder of the present invention fitted thereon. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the holder.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in both figures of the draw Ings.

The device of the present invention includes a base 1, preferably a wooden bar or plate of suitable width and length. Upon the upper face of this base member and at opposite ends thereof are alined bearings, (designated 2,) which are slightly elevated above the base and receivetheendsofarock-bar 8. A yoke-shaped or substantially U-shaped frame member or jaw 4 has its opposite extremities carried by the ends of the rock-bar at the outer sides of the bearings 2, there being a toothed bar 5 secured to the under edge of the outer free side of the jaw by means of threaded fasten- 'ngs, one of which has been indicated in dotted lines at 6 in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the

relatively long and thin pointed teeth 7 being projected downwardly from the bar. At each side of the middle of the rock-bar 3 there is a helical spring 8, which has its middle portion bent into a loop 9, engaged with a headed pin or projection 10, projected radially from the bar and from which the spring is wound or coiled in opposite directions, the extremities 11 of the spring being extended into arms directed rearwardly from the rock-bar and bearing against the top of the base 1, thereby to place a tension upon the rock-bar, with a tendency to throw the toothed outer end of the jaw 4 downwardly.

The device as thus far described is mounted upon any ordinary cutting or marking table, a conventional form of which has been indicated at 12, with the base 1 located adjacent one end of the table and rigidly secured thereto by suitable fasteuin gs 13, preferably screws, thereby to rigidly anchor the device upon the table. hen thus set up, the toothed jaw is yieldably held down against the table, but may be forcibly elevated to permit of a piece of cloth being engaged beneath the jaw. For convenience in controlling the jaw an arm 14: is secured to one end of the jaw and projected in rear of the rock-bar, wherebydownward pressure upon the rear extremity of this arm will tend to elevate the forward free end of the jaw against the tension of the spring. As hereinbefore indicated, it is proposed to control the elevation of the jaw by the foot of the operator, and this is accomplished by means of a treadleor stirrup 15, carried at the lower end of a hanger 16, preferably in the nature of a bar, which is provided at its upper end with a bifurcated couplingl7,strzul dling the rear end of the arm 14 and pivotally connected thereto, as at 18. To prevent lateral swaying of the treadle or stirrup, and thereby to maintain the same always in position for convenient access, it is mounted to work in a guide consisting of a base 19, secured to the floor and provided with upstanding sides 20,- between which the stirrup has a working lit, there being upstanding inwardlydirected flanges 21, carried by the opposite edges of the sides 20 to prevent lateral play of the stirrup and to afford access to the treadle or stirrup. The base 1 of the device is of course attached at the extremity of the table with the toothed jaw 4 extending inwardly therefrom, and as the arm 14 is extended in rear of the rock-bar 3 for a suitable I Io distance beyond the end of the table the hanger 16 is deflected forwardly to bring the stirrup in position for convenient access by the right foot of the operator when standing at the side of the table adjacent the forward free end of the toothed jaw in position to place the goods beneath the jaw when the latter is elevated by a depression of the stirrup.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that the device of the present invention is entirely complete in itself and capable of being applied to any ordinary cutting or marking table without altering or changing the same in any manner whatsoever.

In using the device the bolt of goods is placed upon the table in front of the jaw and the latter is elevated by depressing the stirrup 15, after which the free end of the goods is placed beneath the jaw and the foot is removed from the stirrup, so as to permit of the springs 8 throwing the jaw downwardly upon the goods, which is pierced by the comparatively thin teeth 7 without damage thereto. The free end of the roll of goods is thus fixed upon the table-top and the bolt of goods may then be rolled along the table, so as to unroll the material therefrom preparatory to marking and cutting the goods. It is of course apparent that after one piece of goods has been unrolled other pieces of goods may be anchored and unrolled one upon the other in the same manner, the capacity of the device being limited only by the length of the teeth 7. v

Having fully described the invention, what is claimed is 1. A cloth-holder comprising an attachingbase, a clamping-jaw pivotally mounted thereon, a tension device for the jaw a jaw-moving lever, a stirrup loosely hung therefrom, and an upright guide for the stirrup.

2. A cloth-holder comprising an attachingbase, a clamping-jaw pivotally mounted upon the base, a tension device for the jaw, a jawmoving lever, a stirrup loosely hung from the lever, and a substantially U-shaped guide receiving the stirrup between the sides thereof with its sides provided with flanges overlapping the ends of the stirrup. I 3. A cloth-holder comprising an attachingbase, a clamping-jaw pivotally mounted upon the base, a tension device for the jaw, a jawmoving lever projected away from the jaw beyond the axis thereof, astirrup, and a stirrup-carrying hanger depending from the rear end of the lever and deflected forwardly to locate the lever in advance of the rear portion of the lever.

41:. A cloth-holder comprising an attaching base, a rock-bar mounted upon the base, a tension device for the rock-bar a yoke-shaped jaw having its ends connected to the rockbar and projected in front thereof, a lever carried by one end of the jaw and projected at the opposite side of the rock-bar, a hanger pivotally depending from the rear end of the lever and inclined forwardly therefrom, a stirrup carried by the lower end of the hanger, and an upstanding guide receiving the stirrup.

In testimony that 1 claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

\VILLIAM B. NUNNALLY.

Witnesses:

ELISE A. OLIPPERT, LYDIA BQRAsOHKE. 

